Automatic pistol



Mar. 27, 1923. 1,449,566

F. WALTHER AUTOMATI C 'PISTOL Filed Aug, 29, 921

Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES FRITZ WALTHER, 0F ZELLA-MEHLIS, GERMANY.

AUTOMATIC TISTOL.

Application led August 29, 1921.

To aZZ 'whom t may cof/wem.'

Be it known that I, FRITZ VVALTHER, a citizen of the German Republic, residing at Zella-Mehlis I, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Automatic Pistols, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic pistols with fixed barrel and more particularly to the locking of the breech block in the handle. In automatic pistols of this type the breech block is guided upon the handle and it must be locked in the same, so that, after the cartridge has been fired, it remains attached to the handle so that later on it can be pulled forward by the spring. According to the invention the locking of the breech block with the handle is effected by a stop which is adapted to be easily removed from the path of the breech block in the handle when the breech block has for example to be taken out for cleaning purposes. This removable stop is arranged so that it limits the path of recoil, when it projects into the path of the breech block, and that it may be withdrawn from this path of the breech block, releasing the same upon the handle, when the breech block has to be taken out of the guide way provided in the handle in order that it may be removed from the handle. This adjustable stop is formed, according to this invention, either by the trigger or by the trigger guard or by a guide piece of the breechblock which is removably fixed in the handle so that, after 'the stop has been removed, the breech block may be removed from the guide groove of the handle.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which y Y Figs. 1 and 2 show the arrangement according to which the trigger itself carries the stop or abutment piece adapted to be withdrawn.

Fig. 3 shows the arrangement according to vwhich the trigger guard carries the removable stop or lockingppiece.

Fig. 4 shows a modificaton of the arrangement according to Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line A-B of Fig. 4.

ccordin tothe arrangements shown by Figs. 1 an 2 the trigger itself carries the locking piece. This locking piece forms a projection against which a corresponding Serial No. 496,679.

shoulder of the breech block strikes, so that the recoil of the breech block is limited.l The locking piece is connected with the trigger and pivotally articulated on the same. In order to ensure that, when the trigger is being pulled the locking piece remains in its position, that is to say does not participate 1n the movement of the trigger, a spring is inserted between the trigger and the locking piece which acts upon the locking piece so that the same remains in its position when the trigger is being moved. If now the trigger is removed from the pistol after its pivot bolt has been pulled out, the locking piece is removed at the same time and the breech block may be pushed back in its rectilinear guides and lifted at the rear end, after it has been taken out of the guides, and turned forward over the barrel which is fixed in the handle. This form of construction is shown in Fig. l with the trigger inserted and in Fig. 2 with the trigger removed.

l is the handle with the fixed barrel 2; 3 is the breech block which is guided in the handle, with the inner flange 4 provided at its front end, 5 is the pull spring which encircles the barrel. The handle has long guide grooves 6 upon which the guides 7 of the breech block 3 are guided. The trigger 8 is adapted to be pivoted on a bolt 9 which may be easily removed and the trigger is under the action of the trigger spring 10. The bolt 9 serves also as pivot for the locking piece 11, which is adapted to be turned around the trigger and exposed to the action of a spring l2. The bolt 9 has a head 13 at one side, which facilitates its insertion and withdrawal in the corresponding boring of the handle 1. The locking piece 11 forms an abutment for the surface 14of the breech block 3 when the same recoils, so that the breech block with its guides 7 cannot become disengaged from the guide grooves 6 of the handle. If however, the bolt 9 is removed from the handle l and the trigger 8 taken ofi', the" locking piece 11 is removed from the path of the breech block 3 so that the breech block may be pulled out at the rear until its guides 7 get out of the guide grooves 6 of the handle, so that it can be lifted in the usual manner and pulled forward over the barrel. l

Inversely the connection of the breech block with the handle is effected after said breech block hasibeen pushed over the handle and after the trigger 8 with the locking piece 11 has been inserted and the pivot bolt 9 put in, the locking piece thereby forming the abutment for the breech block.

According to the form of construction shownby Figs. 3 to 5 the locking piece is provided upon the trigger guard instead upon the trigger or it is coupled with said trigger guard. Fig. 3 shows the first arrangement and Figs. 1 and 5 the second arrangement.

The trigger guard is not rigidly connected with the handle 1 but is'pivoted on the pivot bolt 16, and grips over this pivot bolt with a slit 18 with an inward circular eX- tension 17. The trigger guard 15 has at its' front end a spring bolt 20, acted upon by spring 19, whose head 21 bears against an inclined surface 22 of the handle 1, so that the trigger guard 15 is securely mounted in the handle 1 but adapted to be separated from the same by a pull. The trigger guard 15 has an abutment face 23 which together with an abutment face 2a of the breech block 3 acts in such a manner that when the breech block recoils, the abutment face 24 strikes against the inclined face 23. This face 23 serves as locking piece.

In order to take the pistol to pieces the abutment face 23 of the trigger guard 15 has to be pulled out of the path of the abutment face 24 of the breech block 3. This is. effected by pulling the trigger guard 15 off the inclined surface 22 of the handle 1 against the pressure of the spring bolt 20. The breech block 3 can now be moved back until its guides 7 are free of the guide grooves 6 of the handle 1. The trigger guard 15 may also be unhooked from the pivot bolt 16 when it has been turned down completely, the slot 18 permitting this. The trigger guard 15 has a head 25, which bears against the lower surface of the trigger 6 which prevents the trigger guard from being lowered completely. The head 25 of the trigger guard 15 is released only when the trigger 8 has been pulled so that the trigger guard can new sink to its lowest position. Inorder to prevent the bolt 2O from sliding from surface 22 and releasing guard 15 when a heavy impact occurs between faces 23 and 24, the abutment 23 of the trigger guard 15 has a forwardly projecting ridge 26 under which, engages the abutment surface 2/1 of the breech block 3 when the breech block recoils. AVlhen the abutment face 24C of the Vbreech block 3 strikes against this ridge 26 of the trigger guard `15 the latter is held by the breech block 3 so that the trigger guard 15 cannot be separated from the handle 1 by shocks.r The trigger guard 15 may have an extension 27 on which the trigger 8 is fixed by means of a pivot bolt 28, whereby the taking to piecesl and the putting together of the automatic pistol is further facilitated.

. To prevent the trigger guard 15 from dropping off when the spring bolt 20 whose head 21 bears against the inclined surface 22 of the handle l, is shaken when the pistol is dropped, a special locking device for the trigger guard may be provided. This is shown in Figs. i and 5 and consists of a nose 29 infiuenced by a spring 30 and adapted to'grip behind a bridge 31 of the handle 1. This nose 2,9 is laterally mounted in t-hc trigger guard and is depressed by means of a knob 32 when the trigger guard 15 is removed from the handle. The knob 32 which projects laterally from the trigger guard 15 is situated so that it cannot come in contact with the ground when the pistol isVy dropped so that an accidental releasing of the trigger guard is prevented. In this case the spring bolt 20 and its bearing surface 22 may be eliminated.

I claim:

1. An automatic pistol comprising in combination a handle, a barrel fixed in said handle, a breech block adapted to move to and fro on said handle, a trigger in said handle, a trigger guard hingedly connected with said handle, a spring influenced bolt for fixing said trigger guard inthe handle and a locking piece for locking said breech block on said handle connected with said trigger guard.

2. An automatic pistol comprising in combination a handle, a barrel fixed in said handle, a breech block adapted to move to and fro on said handle, a vt-riggerin said handle, a trigger guard pivotally and removably connected with said handle and having a guide slot, a spring influenced bolt engaging 'with said slot of Ysaid trigger guard and a locking piece for locking said breech block on saidhandle connected with said trigger guard. y y

3. An automatic pistol comprising in combination a handle, a breech block adapted to move to and fro on said handle, a trigger guard pivotally and removably connected with said handle, an extension on said trigger guard, a trigger hinged to said extension, a bolt in saidy handle serving `for removably fixing said trigger guard .in the handle, a spring acting upon said bolt, and an extension of said trigger guard serving as locking piece for' said breech block.

11. An automatic pistol comprising in combination a handle, a trigger guard pivotally and removably connected with said handle, an extension on said trigger guard, a trigger hinged to said extension, a bolt in said handle serving for removably fixing said trigger guard in the handle, a spring acting upon said bolt, an enlarged head on said trigger guard above trigger pivot bearing lagainst the trigger to prevent the dropping of said trigger guard, and an eXtension of said trigger guard serving as a locking piece for said breech block.

5. An automatic pistol comprising in combination a handle, a trigger guard pivotally and removably connected With said handle, an extension on said trigger guard, a trigger' hinged to said extension, a bolt in said handle serving to removably fix said trigger guard in said handle, a spring acting upon said bolt, an extension on said trigger guard serving as a locking piece for said breech block and a lug on said trigger guard Which is caught by the bearing surface of the breech block when the breech block moves back.

6. An automatic pistol comprising in combination a handle, a lateral flange on said handle, a barrel fixed in said handle,

a breech block adapted to move to and fro on said handle, a trigger guard pivotally and removably connected With said handle, an extension of said trigger guard, a trigger hinged to said extension, a bolt in said handle serving to removably x said trigger guard in said handle, a spring acting upon said bolt, a detent on said trigger guard, engaging over said fiange of the handle and locking said trigger guard, a knob for pushing back said detent, and an extension of said trigger guard serving as a locking piece for said breech block.

In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRITZ WALTHER.

Witnesses PAUL HAUPLER, HERMANN RAMZERGER. 

